Improvement in tape primers for fire-arms



T. T. s. LAIDLEY.

Primer for Fire Arms. No. 22,957. Patented Feb. 15, 1859 Bed ccwfzbwqaN.PETERS. PHDTO-LlTHDG A PNER, WASHINGTON. Dv C UNITED STATES PATENTOFETCE.

THEODORE T. S. LAIDLEY, OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY.

IMPROVEMENT IN TAPE PRIMERS FOR FI RE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 22,957, dated February15, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE T. S. LAID- LEY, of the Army of the UnitedStates, have invented a new and Improved Mode of Making Tape Primers forSmall-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full andexact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the lettors of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in attachin g anumber ofpercussion-primers, made somewhat in the manner of ordinarypercussion-caps, except in the depth of the cap, to a strip of paper orother substance, which may be easily severed by the hammer by embeddingthe cap in an indentation or hole in the paper or other substance, andheld in placeby means of glue or other adhesive material, orby means ofa second strip of paper made fast to the first by some glue, paste, orother substance, the caps being held fast and forming a series ofprimers connected together which can be fed out in succession.

The advantages claimed for this process of makingatape primer overallothers now known consist in having the percussion-powder firmly pressedin a metallic cup with a greater pressure than can be used when paper orother soft material is used, which, with the polishing, prevents thefulminate from absorbing the varnish placed overit to protect it frommoisture, and thereby weaken or destroy its detonating properties, andat the same time connecting the primers intoa series by means of asubstance which will yield readily to the edge of the hammeracombination of the two most important features of a good primer, whichhave never been satisfactorily united in any tape primer of which I haveever heard.

It is well known that Maynards primer, as now made, requires more thanone fourth heavier a blow to ignite them than the ordinarypercussion-cap. In my primer the same ease of ignition will be had as inthe percussioncap, and the danger of failure to fire the powder fromweakened mainspring will not be apprehended. It has no metal between thefulminate and the cone, nor even paper, if it is desired, and thereforeno danger of clogging the cone, which will sometimes happen in the othertape primers.

My primer,in addition to thc one last named, has this advantage overthose in which a metal strip is used that the force of the blow of thehammer is not diminished perceptibly by the effort to sever the strip,and there can be no dulling the edge of the hammer, so that it shall notcut the strip off clean.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction.

Figurel representsaplan of the tape primer; Fig. 2, a section of thesame; Fig. 3, the primer from below, a portion of the second strip takenoff, showing the caps of different forms embedded in the first strip.

cldd show small holes cut in the second strip to permit the fulminate torest directly on the nipple.

The mode which I deem preferable to others of making my primer is asfollows: The cap which holds the percussion-powder is made,

filled, polished, and varnished as other percussion-caps for small-armswith this difference in the form that the cap is made'only deep enoughto hold the percussion-powder, the varnish, and

leave a small space to the end of the cap. 7 1t may have a flange, whichmay be round or square; or it may not have any. The strip of paper isprepared by having the indentations pressed into itby any of theordinary means for that purpose made of the right size toreceive thecap, the end or flange being fiiish with the surface of the strip. Pasteor glue is then applied to the inner surfaces of the recesses, and thecaps are pressed into their places. A second strip of paper, with holesof less size than the caps cut at regular intervals and at suchdistances that they shall come over the center of the cap, is pastedover the first strip, and the whole is submitted to a heavy pressure,the caps restingin recesses, so that the two strips are closely united.The strip ofprimers is then dried and varnished.

Although I have here described whatIdeem the best and cheapest mode ofmaking my improved primer, Iby no means confine myself to it, but it maybe varied in many ways. For instance, the cap may have no flange; or itmay be made by inclosing the fulminate between two circular disks ofcopper; or the cap may be held in by some adhesive substance alone; or ahole may be pierced in the lower strip and the cap restin it; orindia-rubber, gutta-percha, cloth, parchment, or other substance may beused to join the primers into a series; or avariety of other ways mightbe adopted and yet retain this essential character of using a softsubstance where the'strip is to be cut off, and

,having a metallic cup or covering for the percussion powder, making theprimer secure from moisture and insuring its explosion with the leastpossible blow ot'the hammer, the same in these respects as the ordinarypercussioncap.

Having thus explained the essential features of my invention, the mannerof making it, and the advantages that it possesses over all others nowknown, what I claim as my invention and as distinguished from all otherprimers before known is The combination of two different materials inthe manufactui e oftape primers--one a metal or like substance toreceive and protect the percussion-powder, into which it can be firmlypressed, and the other to connect the former into a series somethingthat can be easily severed by the edge of the hammer.

T. 'T. S. LAIDLEY. Witnesses:

J OHN S. HOLLINGSHEAD, J. F. WOLLARD.

